Leading Japanese education company opens in Hong Kong

Japan's largest education company, Benesse Corporation, officially opened its regional office in Hong Kong today (February 16).

Benesse Hong Kong Co Ltd will develop, source and deliver educational toys, tools and supplements to Benesse in Japan. It will also act as the base for collecting information and exploring business opportunities in the Mainland and other Asian countries.

The Chief Operating Officer, Mr Masayoshi Morimoto, said Hong Kong was a natural choice for the company.

"We are confident that we have made the best decision in selecting Hong Kong for our regional office. Hong Kong's proximity to the Mainland allows us to have easy access to real-time information from China. This is crucial to keep our suppliers producing the highest standard of goods for our customers in Japan," he said.

"Together with our head office in Japan, Benesse Hong Kong will co-operate with our suppliers to develop new products for the Chinese and Japanese markets."

Established in 1955 and publicly listed on the Osaka Stock Exchange in 1995 and the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2000, Benesse is the largest education corporation in Japan, with registered capital of HK$1 billion. The company employs over 1,700 staff in offices throughout Japan and in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei and Seoul.

The group's products and services focus on education, language study, lifestyles and nursing care. Annual sales in 2003 topped HK$19 billion and operating income was HK$1.2 billion. Berlitz, a world-wide language education company, is a Benesse subsidiary.

The Consul-General of Japan, Mr Jun Yokota, and the Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Mr Mike Rowse, were guests at today's opening ceremony.

Ends/Monday, February 16, 2004